The need to tie down and secure cargo vehicle loads has been an ongoing need. With particular attention to small pickup loads, a number of tie-down and securement methods have been devised. Common methods include using rope or even bungee cord devices which are prone to tangling, thus creating a source of aggravation for a user. Other methods involve using plastic or canvas tarps which habitually flap in the wind and tear due to the fact that they capture air rather than letting it pass through as the vehicle travels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,903, issued to the present inventor, Bruce Edward Foggy, represents a better and more practical solution to securing loads in small pickups than the aforementioned ropes, bungee cords and plastic tarps. This invention comprises a mesh center wherein the borders of the mesh are attached to a lattice work of heavy straps. This solution works well, however, it fails to provide, anchor points within the confines of the mesh center, thus hampering securement to smaller loads or tall and narrow loads, like a refrigerator. Also, the large area comprising the lattice work of straps has a tendency to snag on loads and requires multiple adjustments of this device to center it properly on a load.
The present invention solves the shortcomings of the previously mentioned solutions to vehicle load securement and provides an advancement in the art of securing small vehicle loads which has not gone unnoticed by the public.
The foregoing reflects the state of the art of which the inventor is aware, and is tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor, which may be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing discussion does not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.